Dr Joe Armstrong

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Accredited CBT Therapist | EMDR Practitioner - Stirling
Available for new clients
Available for new clients

This professional is available for new clients.

Stirling, Stirlingshire, FK9 4HA
Available for new clients
Available for new clients

This professional is available for new clients.

About me

I am a fully qualified and Accredited Cognitive Behavioural Therapist (CBT), EMDR Practitioner, Counsellor and Mental Health Professional with more than 30 years experience of helping individuals to overcome and cope better with a range of emotional, psychological, and life problems. I can help with:

  • Anxiety, Worry and Panic Attacks
  • Intrusive Thoughts and Compulsive Behaviours
  • Low mood | Lack of Confidence | Low Self-Esteem
  • Relationship Issues
  • Stress and Post Traumatic Stress Reactions
  • Work-Related Issues
  • Body Image Concerns

My background as a therapist and mental health nurse within the NHS, Voluntary and Private healthcare settings means that I have a detailed understanding a wide range of mental health problems and experience of working with more complex difficulties.

I work in a flexible and collaborative way and ensure that my approach is tailored specifically to each individuals needs. Many people find Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) very helpful because it enables them to become aware of and change unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns that are often associated with distressing emotions, problematic experiences and situations. CBT is recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) as the therapy of choice for a wide range of psychological problems including depression and anxiety. It appeals to many people because it provides them with a wealth of practical strategies to help get their life back on track.

Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a powerful and evidence-based therapy that has been used successfully to help people overcome psychological difficulties originating from some kind of traumatic experience. It is also successful in treating performance anxiety, self-esteem issues, phobias, and other trauma related anxiety disorders.

Counselling is a an approach that provides time to reflect on their life and relationships, the possibilities for change, and clarify how best to move forward is more useful.

I understand that finding the right therapist can be a confusing and daunting process, so I hope that the information provided here (and on my website - see above) will help you to decide if the services I offer are right for you. My aim is to provide a high quality, professional and transparent service that focuses on your individual needs and concerns to ensure you get the most from your therapy experience. So, please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Why not get in touch to arrange a no-obligation brief telephone consultation or to make an appointment for a one-off consultation to talk through your concerns and find out how I might be able to help.

I offer appointments in Bridge of Allan and online.

Please visit my website at www.cbtcounsellingscotland.co.uk for more information.

Training, qualifications & experience

Training, Qualifications & Experience

  • PhD in Counselling - University of Abertay Dundee
  • MSc in Counselling Studies - University of Abertay Dundee
  • Postgraduate Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy (Dist.) - University of Dundee
  • RMN (Registered Mental Health Nurse) - East Surrey School of Nursing & Midwifery
  • EMDR Accredited Training - EMDR Extra
  • Certificate in Solution Focused Therapy - NIK Institute, Bremen, Germany.
  • Acceptance and Commitment Training - Mindfulness Training Ltd (approved by the British Psychological Society)

My original training was in mental health nursing, and I have continued to maintain my professional registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), which is the professional body for nursing in Britain. During my 10 year nursing career in the NHS I had the opportunity to work in both hospital and community-based mental health settings with people who were experiencing acute as well as severe and enduring mental health problems, and also people who had problems related to drug and alcohol use.

As well as my experience in the NHS, I have worked as a psychotherapist in a private hospital specialising in eating disorders, and for some 10 years I worked in the Voluntary Sector in Scotland where I developed and managed a counselling service for people with mental health problems.

I also have experience as a University Lecturer and researcher in the area of mental health and psychological therapies and am particularly keen to ensure my own practice is informed by the latest research findings regarding how best to tailor therapy to each client's particular needs and concerns. Consequently, I know from research and my clinical experience how important it is to spend time building a good working relationship with my clients, clarifying their goals and expectations, and working in a flexible and collaborative way to ensure each client gets the most benefit from their therapy.

Member organisations

BABCP
British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP)

The BABCP is the lead organisation for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in the UK. Membership is open to anyone with an interest in the practice, theory or development of CBT. BABCP also provides accreditation for CBT therapists. BABCP accredited members adhere to the Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics in the Practice of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies, and are willing to be scrutinised in this adherence as required.

BACP
British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP)

BACP is one of the UK’s leading professional bodies for counselling and psychotherapy with around 60,000 members. The Association has several different categories of membership, including Student Member, Individual Member, Registered Member MBACP, Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Accred) and Senior Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Snr Acccred).

Registered and accredited members are listed on the BACP Register, which shows that they have demonstrated BACP’s recommended standards for training, proficiency and ethical practice. The BACP Register was the first register of psychological therapists to be accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).

Accredited and senior accredited membership are voluntary categories for members who choose to undertake a rigorous application and assessment process to demonstrate additional standards around practice, training and supervision.

Individual members will have completed an appropriate counselling or psychotherapy course and started to practise, but they won’t appear on the BACP Register until they've demonstrated that they meet the standards for registration. Student members are still in the process of completing their training.

All members are bound by the BACP Ethical Framework and a Professional Conduct Procedure.

Accredited register membership

British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies
Accredited Register Scheme

The Accredited Register Scheme was set up in 2013 by the Department of Health (DoH) as a way to recognise organisations that hold voluntary registers which meet certain standards. These standards are set by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).

This therapist has indicated that they belong to an Accredited Register.

British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies

Other areas of counselling I deal with

I also provide Personal/Life Coaching.

Life coaching can help in many different aspects of life. I specialise in working with people who want to make positive changes in the following areas of their lives:

  • Achieving a better balance between their work and personal life
  • Stress reduction and management
  • Enhancing personal effectiveness by learning new skills in relation to:
  • Overcoming procrastination
  • Improving interpersonal communication and relationships
  • Assertiveness
  • Overcoming performance anxiety associated with giving work-related presentations, public speaking and stage fright (e.g. for actors, musicians).

For more information, please visit my website at www.cbtcounsellingscotland.co.uk

Fees

Health Insurance/EAP

  • Aviva
  • Axa Health
  • BUPA
  • WPA

Additional information

I offer a Free 15-minute Telephone Call to discuss your concerns and clarify how I might be able to help before booking an appointment.

Alternatively, you may wish to book a no-obligation Initial Assessment Consultation for a detailed assessment of your problems/needs and receive an outline plan of how therapy could help you overcome your problems. At the end of the assessment consultation, you will have an opportunity to discuss the type(s) of therapy that may best suit your needs, and be given an estimate to the number of sessions needed so that you will be clear about the investment you are making in your health and well-being in terms of the overall cost of your therapy, and also in relation to the time and effort required to get your life back on track.

The no-obligation assessment consultation may help you decide if you would like to engage in therapy at this stage and whether or not I am the right therapist for you.

Initial (no-obligation) Consultation - £85 per one hour session.

CBT and Counselling for Individuals - £85 per one hour session.

EMDR - £85 for each one hour to one hour and 15 minute session.

Couples Counselling - At present I don't provide couples counselling.

My fees reflect my qualifications and extensive clinical experience as a therapist, mental health professional and the value of the service I offer to my clients. If you choose to have your therapy with me, you can be assured of a high quality service and that my training and experience means that I am equipped with the skills and knowledge to help you to overcome your problems as quickly as possible.

Further information

Professional Memberships
I am an Accredited member of the British Association for Behavioural & Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP) and a Registered Member the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and abide by their codes of ethics and good practice guidelines. I am also a member of the EMDR Association UK and Ireland.

Testimonials
"I cannot express enough how helpful my experience with Joe has been. I have struggled with confidence issues and low self-esteem throughout my life, and after a particularly rocky period I decided to try counselling. Working with Joe allowed me to look back at some of the reasons why I took such a negative view of myself, and I began to criticise the thought processes that were leading me to feel so low. I can now recognise negative patterns, and use the skills that I have learnt with Joe to deconstruct these feelings. For a long time I felt unable to appreciate the good things because they were so clouded by my problems, but I can now truly enjoy my own life. Getting some self-respect has also allowed me to recognise when I am being taken advantage of or mistreated by others, and life has become much easier as a result! I was also very grateful for Joe's compassionate and supportive manner, and I felt comfortable discussing very personal and often painful information with him. Overall, I am a much more confident person, and this has been picked up on by my family and friends. Thank you for all your help Joe!" Medical Student

"I have spent most of my life thinking I didn't quite fit in, and this really affected my social life, personal life, and more recently, my working life. I always felt that people were judging me negatively, and after the first session with Joe, I realised that I actually had a recognisable phobia which stemmed from when I was young.  After only one or two sessions with Joe I managed to start overcoming some of my issues, and after 7 or 8 sessions I am now comfortable dealing with situations I couldn't handle before. I cannot thank Joe enough, for his unjudgemental manner, and his expertise in recognising my issues from day one, issues I hadn't recognised in myself before.  His help and support has been invaluable in getting my life back."  HGV Driver

“I cannot thank you enough for your help. I am more in control of my thoughts when faced with situations I would have previously found unmanageable. I have gained techniques and learned things about myself that I will never forget and will be able to use for the rest of my life.” Teacher

“I had always just thought what I thought and felt what I felt, but this had got me into trouble. Joe helped me to see that there might be other ways of understanding things. By putting what I have learned into practice I am developing a more positive, helpful and realistic outlook, and learning to be happier.” Sales Consultant

88 Henderson Street, Bridge of Allan, Stirling, Stirlingshire, FK9 4HA

Type of session

In person
Online
Phone

Types of client

Adults
Organisations
Employee Assistance Programme

Online platforms

Skype
Zoom

Social

Dr Joe Armstrong
Dr Joe Armstrong